Chapter 122
Two decades of events could never be told in a short while. Now that the whole family was safe and sound, there would be plenty of time to talk about everything later.
Empress Dowager Xu could not stay outside for too long. She had Lady Liang and her nephews and nieces enjoy some pastries with hot tea, then said to Xu Xian, "I should head back now. You all don't need to rush tomorrow. Just be at the Dismounting Bridge by the fourth hour of the morning, and the Empress will send people to welcome you."
Xu Xian blinked in surprise. "Our entire family is entering the palace?"
Looking at his younger brother's weathered, sharply chiseled face, where the faint traces of his youthful appearance still showed even in his stunned expression, Empress Dowager Xu reached out and brushed her hand lightly over his cheek. "Now that my brother is back, I finally feel this is not a dream."
She then broke into a warm smile. "How could I let this first meeting pass so quickly without seeing you all again soon? Tomorrow we can talk properly in the palace."
As Empress Dowager Xu's carriage left the teahouse's backyard, Geng Dayou called for the Hundred Household Commander Ding, and the whole group set off for the residence bestowed by the Emperor.
The Emperor had granted a mansion located in the western part of the city. A running stream was diverted into a lake in the back garden; it was not overly grand, but exquisitely designed and perfectly comfortable, just the right size to house the entire Xu family.
This came as another surprise to Xu Xian. He had assumed the Emperor, to show off his magnanimity, would have given them a sprawling, lavish mansion purely for show.
It was only after Empress Dowager Xu explained that he learned the residence had been personally chosen by the Empress.
Granting residences to court officials fell under state affairs, which the Emperor had casually delegated to the Empress to handle. None of the court officials dared raise any objections—something that would have been unthinkable under the previous generations of emperors of the Great Ying dynasty. Xu Xian grew more and more curious about the current court.
The whole family had lived in a small courtyard in the northern border for years. Xu Xian could not get used to living in a grand residence now, always feeling a hollow, uneasy feeling in his chest. If he felt that way, it was even worse for Lady Liang and the children, who had never experienced wealth and status before.
When they were exiled, Xu Gu was three years old and Xu Ning was only one. The two of them could barely remember what their parents looked like, let alone the short time they had spent in the marquis' manor in their early childhood.
Just like Xu Ning and Xu Yi, they had truly grown up running wild in the harsh northern frontier winds.
Ever since stepping into this new mansion, Lady Liang and the four young people including Xu Gu had all been ill at ease, afraid of doing something improper and becoming a laughingstock. They even held in the urge to use the restroom, too awkward to ask for directions.
Back in the northern lands, the Xu family had only two senior male attendants and four maids and older female servants, each of whom could do the work of several people. They were all used to heavy manual labor, and now that they were in this grand new place, they could not tell one item from another, so there was no hope of them doing proper household work.
Xu Xian told Lady Liang and the four children to relax, and they mumbled their agreement, but remained sitting as stiff as wooden posts, their backs held so straight they looked utterly exhausted just to watch.
Xu Xian grew a little worried, thinking he would ask Empress Dowager Xu to send a seasoned older aunt over the next day to help sort things out.
Geng Dayou, who was exceptionally attentive, quickly noticed their discomfort. He stepped forward and said, "Our Empress once said that every place has its own customs, and every household has its own way of living. Behind closed doors, who cares what others think? In your own home, you should do whatever makes you most comfortable."
Lady Liang's eyes lit up. "Did Her Majesty the Empress truly say that?"
Geng Dayou smiled and replied, "Madam, you have just arrived and do not know. Our own household back in Yingcheng was once extremely down and out. Our master and mistress never liked going out for social visits, but our home was happier and more harmonious than any other. The Empress and her brothers and sisters have always been free-spirited, unconstrained by stuffy formalities."
He then gathered all the servants together. "These people were all selected and trained carefully by our Madam and Eldest Miss. They may not know all the rigid etiquette rules of the most prominent noble households, but they are all honest and dutiful. You may treat them just like the servants you brought from home. If any of them prove disobedient, you can simply send them away and replace them without any hassle."
As he spoke, he handed over all the servants' employment contracts to Lady Liang, said he needed to return to the palace to report on his errand, and left the Marquis of Pacifying the North's residence.
His words were exactly the right remedy for their unease. Soon after, Lady Liang and the four young people including Xu Gu finally relaxed, and began directing the servants to get things done.
The people selected by the Cui family were very capable. The old woman in charge of the kitchen was an exceptional cook, and when they asked, they learned that the Cui family's main branch was famous for their cooking in Yingcheng. The Cloud Gathering Restaurant, whose dishes were renowned as the best in the city, was owned by the Cui family, and this cook had been carefully trained by the Cui household.
Most thoughtfully of all, Madam Jiang and Miss Cui had prepared two sets of new clothes for all six members of the Xu family. Fearing the clothes might not fit, they had left plenty of extra fabric to adjust the sizes.
Lady Liang had been worrying that their northern-style cotton clothes would make them look like unsophisticated hicks the next day, so this was an enormous weight off her mind.
When she saw how much thought and clever detail had gone into each garment, each one uniquely elegant and beautiful, she remembered how she had thought the clothing styles in Jinan, Xuzhou and Huai'an prefectures they had passed through on their journey south were very refined. The clothes they wore in the northern lands now seemed little more than haphazard rags in comparison.
But even the fine clothing of those three prefectures paled next to the exquisitely made garments the Cui family had prepared.
Xu Ning and Xu Zhen could not bear to put down their new clothes, and after finishing their dinner, they could not wait to go try them on.
Geng Dayou had been so open and sincere with them that even before meeting them in person, Lady Liang was already full of gratitude toward the Empress and her natal family.
After such a long journey, nothing was more restorative than a good, peaceful night's sleep.
When they woke up the next morning, the entire Xu family looked refreshed and full of energy.
After enjoying a delicious breakfast, the whole family got ready, boarded their carriage, and headed into the palace.
Xu Xian had never been to the Yingcheng imperial palace before, but fortunately the layout of the imperial palace here was identical to the one in Yancheng. They got off their carriage at the Dismounting Bridge after entering the palace gates.
Barely had they stopped, when a clear-faced, seventeen or eighteen year old eunuch stepped forward and bowed. "Greetings, Marquis, Madam, young masters and young ladies. This servant is Buyu, who serves by the Empress' side."
Xu Xian returned the greeting with a cupped hand. "My wife and children have never seen such grand sights before. If they do anything improper, I hope Your Grace will offer them some guidance."
Buyu knew he had misunderstood, and smiled. "Even the Marquis will be walking along with this servant."
"I am to pay my respects to the Empress first?" Xu Xian asked in surprise. There was no rule that a court official should accompany his female family members to meet the Empress.
"Her Ladyship does not know yet, Marquis. His Majesty and Her Majesty are both in the Yanhua Palace, so it is only natural that you all go there together."
Xu Xian did not think much of it. He assumed the Empress was waiting in the rear hall of the Yanhua Palace to meet Lady Liang and the children, before they would all go to visit Empress Dowager Xu.
This was the Empress's thoughtfulness—this woman was truly extraordinarily perceptive and kind.
The whole group followed Buyu further into the palace. Soon Xu Xian noticed that the Yanhua Palace, where the Emperor handled state affairs and spent his days, was not located in the central, most prominent position.
Buyu pointed it out to him, saying, "That over there is the Benyuan Palace. The Late Emperor used to reside and conduct affairs there, but His Majesty finds it too cramped and dim, so he moved to the Yanhua Palace."
Xu Xian knew very well that emperors were the most particular about auspicious feng shui locations, always insisting on occupying the central, most respected position to demonstrate the supreme authority of imperial power to the world.
This Emperor did not care for such conventions at all—he was truly a remarkable ruler.
They soon arrived at the Yanhua Palace, and Buyu led the whole family straight through the main entrance of the Yanhua Palace.
Female relatives of court officials were not supposed to enter the outer court where state affairs were conducted. Worried there might be some criticism, Xu Xian looked around with a hint of hesitation.
Sure enough, the court officials passing through the courtyard all threw them surprised, curious glances, but that was as far as it went.
Stepping out of the west side hall came a eunuch around the same age as Buyu, who bowed and said, "This servant is Buyan. Greetings, Marquis Xu. Please follow this servant."
Xu Xian returned the courtesy, but did not step forward in a hurry. He watched Buyan lead Lady Liang and the others into the Eastern Pavilion.
That Buyan had been waiting patiently at the side. When he saw the door of the Eastern Pavilion shut, he explained to Xu Xian, "The Empress is handling official affairs in the Eastern Pavilion right now. She has never received noble ladies of the imperial court here before, but she made an exception this time because this concerns the household of the Marquis Xu."
Xu Xian's face did not reveal the slightest emotion, yet inside he was greatly shaken.
On his way south, he had heard plenty of gossip about the Emperor and Empress. He knew that the Emperor had married his own niece, and to make this happen, he had dismissed a great number of court officials who knelt at the Duan Gate to remonstrate against the marriage, and even forced Chief Minister Li to return home to recuperate from illness. The commotion caused was far from ordinary.
In Xu Xian's mind, since it was a marriage between an older husband and a much younger wife, who were also uncle and niece, and the Emperor had gone to such great lengths to win her, it was only natural that he would dote on her a little too much.
Even if the Empress had accompanied Empress Dowager Xu out of the palace to welcome the Xu family, Xu Xian assumed that the Emperor, in the heat of his affection for her, had permitted it as an occasional arrangement, and most court officials would not push back too hard to argue the point.
But to have the Empress handle official affairs in the Eastern Pavilion, which was the main hall for court affairs in the previous dynasty, was truly unheard of. Adding all these incidents together, Xu Xian had formed a rough judgment of the Emperor.
When he entered the Western Pavilion, Xu Xian bowed and said, "Your subject Xu Xian pays his respects to Your Majesty."
"Offer Lord Xu a seat," a calm, indifferent voice rang out. Buyan stepped forward to lead Xu Xian to his seat.
Only then did Xu Xian lift his eyes to look at the Emperor. He had imagined countless appearances for the Emperor, but none of them matched the man before him.
One could say this was the most un-Emperor-like Emperor he had ever seen.
The Emperor was sitting cross-legged on the grand throne, his expression lazy and casual, his eyes half-closed as if he could fall asleep at any moment.
Yet Xu Xian did not dare be the slightest bit careless. A general who had fought across thousands of troops had the sharpest instinct for danger. Though the Emperor had reined in his imposing aura, his overwhelming pressure seemed to linger everywhere. This Emperor was a highly trained martial artist.
Xu Xian had met many skilled martial artists before. Those who had reached the peak of their skill could indeed exert a powerful pressure on others, but none of them could push someone into a disadvantaged position invisibly like this Emperor could.
"Lord Xu, are you still fit for battle? I plan to move the capital back to Yancheng."
Xu Xian did not expect the Emperor to be so straightforward. There were no pleasantries, no attempts to win him over with kindness, no explanations for the late Emperor's wrongdoings to the Xu family, not even empty promises of benefits. This Emperor had thrown all of Xu Xian's prepared plans into disarray.
What Xu Xian despised most about Emperor Xuanning was not how he had treated the Xu family, but his decision to abandon Yancheng and move the capital to Yingcheng. A true Son of Heaven should stand guard at the nation's borders, and die for the altars of his land and grain. If an Emperor could not do that, what right did he have to enjoy the support and sustenance of all the people under heaven?
Just from this single sentence of the Emperor, Xu Xian's resistance toward him lessened.
"Your subject is still fit for battle, only..."
The Emperor did not let him finish his sentence. "I am not the late Emperor," he said, making no attempt to hide his disdain for Emperor Xuanning.
Once again, Xu Xian was taken by surprise. The Emperor stood up and said, "I do not wish to force you into anything. Take your time to think it over and give me your answer later."
The Emperor gestured for Xu Xian to walk out with him, but Buyan stopped him. He pointed at the Emperor's shoes and said, "Your Majesty, please make sure your shoes are on properly, or Her Majesty will be displeased again."
Xu Xian watched as the Emperor actually sat back down on the grand throne, adjusted his shoes to wear them properly, and then stood up again.
The Emperor and his subject walked out of the Western Pavilion one after another. Out of the corner of his eye, Xu Xian spotted many court officials in the side hall peeking through the windows in their direction.
When they entered the inner room of the Eastern Pavilion, Xu Xian saw that Lady Liang, Xu Gu and the others no longer had the nervousness they had shown when they first entered the palace. He knew at once that the Empress had not put on any airs in front of them.
Xu Xian kept his head lowered after entering, wondering why the Empress did not stand up to greet the Emperor, when a pleasant, clear voice spoke to the Emperor, "Why have you come here?"
The Emperor walked over on his own and sat cross-legged on the Luohan couch again. His tone was still lazy, but carried a clear note of affection, "I had nothing more to say, so it's your turn to take over."
Xu Xian looked up in astonishment, and met the Empress's face, which wore a look of helplessness. The Empress invited him to take a seat, "His Majesty does not like to talk much. Lord Xu, you will get used to it in time."
Here we come [let me take a good look]
